WORCESTERSHIRE all-rounder Ed Barnard became just the third Pears bowler in history to dismiss five batsmen without scoring in a single innings during the recent Championship clash with Lancashire.
Barnard managed the unusual feat of dismissing five batsmen for ducks in the first innings and heritage co-ordinator Tim Jones has been inundated with enquiries from members and supporters asking if this had been achieved before by a Worcestershire player in first-class cricket.
In 1955 Pears paceman Jack Flavell achieved it in a Championship match against Kent at Dover before the county’s current president-spin bowling coach Norman Gifford repeated the feat versus Cambridge University at Cambridge in 1972.
Tim discovered Barnard’s feat was the 155th occurrence of a bowler dismissing five or more batsman for a duck in an innings in first-class cricket.
The record is seven ducks in an innings by C Blythe for Kent against Northamptonshire at Northampton in 1907 and the latest occurrence was by Mark Footitt for Surrey against Warwickshire at the Kia Oval last summer.
On another topic Tim, with the help of Cricket Archive, has been able to answer members and supporters’ queries as to whether Brett D’Oliveira was the first D’Oliveira to captain Worcestershire in a first-class game.
Brett achieved the feat in the win against Lancashire at Blackfinch New Road and was also in charge for the draw against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
Grandfather Basil D’Oliveira skippered the side on two first-class occasions – versus Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1971 and Hampshire at New Road in 1976 – but Brett’s father Damian never led the side in a first-class fixture.